Going Potty over Pottery!!!!

I have has many customers during the 3 1/2 years we have been running Potter Doodle Doo, some come back time after time whilst others just come along for something different. Either way it's always a pleasure to see their creations. Each and every time I open up the kiln after a firing, I'm like a kid in a sweetie shop. The colours and designs really do come alive during the firing process. Many have asked what happens to their items when I take them home so I thought that I would write a posting which will hopefully explain the process.

Those who have attended will know that we start off with a blank plate. This is called bisque or bisqueware which is a clay product that has been fired without any glazes. All of the tableware items that we sell are imported from either Italy or America by our supplier.

The bisque is painted using a non-toxic, lead free coloured glaze. The brand that we use is called 'Stroke & Coat' and is made by a company called 'Mayco' http://maycocolors.com/ in America. As this glaze is water based, it is suitable for using to make wonderful baby footprints. The colours aren't very interesting when painting, however the effect after firing is fabulous.

I use a super high gloss unleaded glaze which is made in Italy. It gives a wonderful sheen and shine to the surface of the item. The item is held with a pair of tongs and then dipped into the bucket of glaze. This covers the item with a light blue / green colour which if you haven't seen before can be quite concerning.

Here on the left is a selection of pottery waiting to be glazed.

As my website states, we are a family business, and many of your will have seen Gen at the events and workshops that I have run. She is always asking to help during the glazing process, but I don't allow her to dip items unless she hasn't painted them herself. Tiles however are unsuitable for dipping as you do not want to have glaze on the underside of them, therefore we brush glaze these. As you can see, Gen was in her element glazing these for me, she was so proud when they came out of the kiln - you would think that she had actually painted them all herself not just glazed them.

Items that have been dipped and are now drying out waiting to be fettled.

Once the items have been dipped, they are left on the table to dry, the time this takes depends upon how warm the room is. In the Summer, items dry in just a few minutes, however in the cold of Winter, it can take upto half an hour or so.

When they are dry, they are 'fettled' this involves removing any glaze from the 'foot' of the item. The foot is the area underneath your pot that sits on the table, if glaze is not removed from this area it will fuse to the shelf in the kiln. It is done by firstly scraping the area with a fettling knife and then sponging with a damp cloth to ensure that all is removed.

The kiln I have is a Paragon Kiln (again made in America), this will hold approximately 20 plates with special plate racks. I can get approximately 45-50 mugs in there at once. They are then loaded into the kiln for firing (unfortunately, I forgot to take a pic of the kiln loaded up - SORRY!)

The kiln takes approximately 8 hours to reach the high temperature of just over 1000 degrees celcius and then about another 8 hours to cool down again. The cooling period can be longer during hot weather. I don't open the kiln until it is showing about 30-40 degrees at which point I leave for at least another hour with the lid open as the items are usually a lot hotter than the ones at the top. being a bit stupid last week, I opened up the kiln and thought.... 'oooooh that's a lovely mug' at which point I decided to pick it up to take a better look! How dumb was that idea, I burnt my hand on it. If it had been anything else, i would have dropped it instantly but knowing that it was something a customer had lovingly painted, I grinned and gently put it down on the top of the kiln controller ... now how's that for dedication! LOL.

Below are some photographs of fired items, these were all painted at events that took place over the Easter Holiday 2009. I apologise in advance, I didn't have time to take photographs of everything, so just chose a few at random. If you would like to see your item on my blog or website, then please email me a photograph of your item, including your age, name and where you painted it and I will display it for you.

How does this strange looking substance go clear?? WELL! It's all part of the firing process which sees the kiln heat to temperatures exceeding 1000 degrees celcius! How I explain this to the children is the fact that the kiln gets over 4 times hotter than the oven in your kitchen. The coloured glaze that was used to paint your design also undergoes a chemical reaction to the heat and becomes a lot more vibrant giving some stunning colours and effects.

These tiles were painted at an event I did on Easter Monday for Oasis Church Wintringham. Guests were invited to paint a tile with what Easter means to them. We had a varied selection of tiles painted from beautiful Spring flowers and Easter Eggs through to the Cross. These are going back to the individuals who painted them which in a way is a shame as they look wonderful all together there on the table.